18th March 2018

Saturday Evening Mass will take place as normal at 6pm in Blessington and at 7.30pm in Lacken
ChurchSunday 18th March 2018The Annual Collection
for Crosscare Youth will take place at all Masses next weekend

17th
& 18th March replacing Share Collection

Sunday 18th March2018The Annual Collection
for Crosscare Youth will take place at all Masses next weekend

17th
& 18th March replacing Share CollectionMonday 19th March2018

Bank Holiday Mass
11am Blessington

Tuesday 20th March 2018Adoration / Silent Prayer in Church
of Our Lady, Blessington after 9.30am
Mass until 11am

Blessington U3A meeting
at 10.30am in the Education Centre. Speaker: Kevin Kenny and his topic is
Ernest Shackleton. All Welcome

Citizens Information Centre in Blessington Library from 1pm to 4pm.
Legal advice service on 1st & 3rd Tues of month by appointment

Blessington & District Active Retirement Group Thea's Ecercise to Music at 2pm usual meeting at
2.45pm in the Coimin Centre

Blessington Confirmation Programme from 7.30
to 9pm. Reminder Parents: Please join us in the church at 8.50pm
for a short Prayer Service with your child.

Coffee Morning & Cake Sale Sunday,
25th March at 12pmin theCommunity Hall, Manor Kilbride. Please
show your support for the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue who assisted with a
number of medical emergencies in the local area during Storm Emma.

The ANNUAL CHURCH GATE & TOWN COLLECTION in aid of the Coimín
Centre will take place the weekend of 13th to 15th
April.We are looking for volunteers who
may be able to offer an hour of their time over the weekend to assist with the
collection.This fundraiser is a vital
source of income for the Coimín Centre & we thank in advance all helpers &
contributors.Please contact the Parish
Office with offers of assistance.045
865 327

I would
like to say a sincere “Thank You” to
all my wonderful neighbours & friends in Crosschapel who were so kind
during the bad snow; ringing to check if I was alright and if I needed
anything. Some even climbed in over the snow to visit! You are all on my
prayers list.Margaret Hammond

Blessington Millennium Choir is
giving a concert in St Fin Barre's Cathedral Cork in aid of Cork Penny Dinners
after Easter.We are holding our full
Dress Rehearsal in St Mary's by kind permission of Rev Leonard Ruddock on Tues
20th March at 7.30pm.We
would love to have a live audience for this. The programme includes Franz
Schubert's Mass in G major; beautiful pieces from the works of Karl Jenkins,
and a couple of modern songs/ duets. FREE Admission

Tai Chi classes every Tues at 11am in High Definition
Fitness. Suitable for all ages & fitness this is a gentle form of exercise
which improves coordination, balance, joint mobility & core strength. We
ask participants to make a €3 contribution in aid of the Coimin Centre. HD
Fitness very kindly offers the studio free of charge & I’m teaching the
classes on a voluntary basis too. Ray

Blessington
GAA Club
is collecting good quality second hand clothing suitable for re-use. Info: John
Magee Snr 086 871 7483 or Breda Brophy 087 225 3892.Thank you for your Support.

GAA
Academy
starts on Saturday March 3rd at 10am & continues every Saturday
until October. Contact 086 831 7164 for further details

Healthy
Eating Puppet Show. A
free Healthy Ireland initiative at 11am on Sat 24th March in
Blessington Library. The essence of all healthy eating & healthy living
messages is to eat more of the foods that are good for us, less of the foods
that are not & take more exercise. It's a message which children are
frequently exposed to but one which can be difficult to make interesting,
memorable & desirable. With mad chefs, a very bad 'bad guy' & wacky
wizards, to name but a few of the characters, that is exactly what this puppet
show sets out to do. The ideal age bracket is from first to fourth class but
the message is very suitable for all primary school children. Children must be
accompanied an adult. Adults do not require a ticket for this event.

Tasty
Vegan Eating. This
talk by Natasha Czoper of ‘Natasha’s Living Foods’ will take place on Thursday
22nd March at 7pm in Blessington Library. Come along & get some
easy tips for plant based eating. Natasha will have some tasty food for you to
sample. Free event & all welcome.

Valleymount
Church Renovation Committee would like to thank Ballymore Dramatic Society for their
wonderful presentation of The Beauty Queen of Leenane in the Community Hall.
Many thanks to all who supported the event and who donated prizes for the
raffle.

Lacken Community Text Alert. If you wish to sign
up for the Community Text Alert; forms are available from Theo Clarke: 087 286
9801. Cost €10 per annum.

Many thanks to Simon & Tina in Blessington First
Responders for the Training Session on administering CPR & how to use the Defibrillator
in Lacken recently.

Blessington Gaelic4Mother&Others are
holding a Table Quiz on Friday March 23rd at
9pm (reg from 8.30pm) in Murphy’s
Lounge, Blessington €10 per person. It promises to be an exciting night of fun
quizzing, spot prizes & raffle! Come along & support your local
G4M&O team

The AnnualDawn
Mass
will take place on Easter Sunday at 6am in Horan’s Lane, Killenarden Hill. Turn
into Killenarden at the Jobstown Inn on the N81 and follow the signposts. Bring
along your musical instruments & your singing voice. Any queries? Contact:
086 216 0142

Blessington
RFC
Mini-Rugby for U6’s to U9’s at Blessington GAA Astro at 7pm every Wednesday and
at Russborough House at 11am every Saturday. All Welcome! Contact:
blessingtonrugby@gmail.com

is taking place in
Further Education Centre Blessingtonfrom
Mon 26th to Thurs 29th March.

FREE EVENTS - bring
along a friend

Monday - Minding your
mind/building your self-esteem from 11am to 1pm

Tuesday - Everyday
exercise made easy - 1pm to 2pm

Wednesday - Cooking
Demonstration from 11am to 1pm

Thursday - Guided walk
to Russborough 11am to 2pm

followed by Healthy
refreshments....

Remember all events
are free!

For more information
please contact 045 891099

Following
the huge success of
the inaugural West Wicklow Festival in 2017, tickets are now on sale for the
2nd edition of the Festival. Taking place from 17th to 20th May. It will
will feature a host of international & Irish talent with concerts of
classical chamber music being held at Russborough House & St. Mary’s Church
in Blessington. The 2018 Festival Programme features internationally
acclaimed clarinet virtuoso Julian Bliss, principal cellist of the Scottish
Chamber Orchestra Philip Higham, the award-winning Benyounes Quartet,
renowned Irish baritone Gavan Ring & the Festival’s Founder & Artistic
Director, renowned Irish pianist Fiachra Garvey. There will also be a
free Family Concert delivered in partnership with the National Concert Hall as
well as interactive music activities on the Russborough Estate. For info
& tickets, please visit www.westwicklowfestival.com or call the box
office on 01 417 0000

Blessington
GAAIndoor Hurling for 5 to 9yr olds on Wed
from 6 to 7pm in the Community College for 4 weeks: €12. Hurl & Helmet
supplied, Info: Sean 086 108 5879

The
Sacrament of the Sick – Healing Mass is offered on the 2nd Saturday of
every 2nd month in Church of Our Lady, Blessington, unless otherwise
announced.
February / April / June / August / October / December

The 9.30am Mass in Church of Our Lady, Blessington every
Monday morning is offered for the sick and those in hospital. A Prayer
Card is available free of charge at the Parish Office.

Thinking of Advertising in the Parish Newsletter? Small
Adverts 50c per word If you wish to have your advert included on the
Parish Website Commercial Section, €2 extra for the small ad.

Gluten Free Hosts are available on the Altar in Church of Our Lady, Blessington for Coeliacs who would like to receive the Blessed Sacrament.

Parish Meeting Room Facilities
The Coimin Centre opened its doors on 19th March 2015. It houses the
Parish Office and Day Care facility for the elderly. We also have rooms
to rent by day/evening for local groups and organisations. This is a
modern, attractive and convenient venue and offers the possibility of a
wide variety of meetings, gatherings and events.
You may also be interested in rooms to rent in a more traditional
setting. St. Josephs Hall, Blessington has been at the heart of
Blessington social and community life for almost 70 years, and today
continues to be a thriving hub of activity for users of all ages. The
Hall has been extensively refurbished in recent times and is in
excellent condition throughout.
Both venues are serviced by Caretakers who are available to facilitate
access to the venues, and to assist with particular user requirements.
All groups or organisations using the Coimin Centre and St. Josephs
Hall must provide an up-to-date copy of their Insurance Cover.
Rates and availability can be checked by contacting the Parish Office 045 865327 or email: office@blessington.info

Please Note:
Blessington Parish Pastoral Council wish to advise that anyone
requesting to hold collections outside the Church can only do so with
Garda permission and no distribution of leaflets/Literature can take
place on Church Grounds without prior permission.

Baptisms in Church of Our Lady, Blessington
take place on the 1st Sunday of every second month at 12 noon and the 2nd
Saturday of every month at 4.30pm. All bookings must be made through
the Parish Office 045 865327. The Parish Baptism Team, Fiona &
Karen, host a Baptism Preparation Meeting for parents each month in the
Meeting Room of Church of Our Lady. All parents who wish to have a baby
baptised are requested to attend the Preparation Meeting.

St Vincent de Paul – Blessington.
Any donations intended for the local conference of the Saint Vincent de
Paul should be sent to, or left in the Parish Office, c/o SVP
Blessington Conference. All donations received will be acknowledged and
receipted by the local conference.

Please Note: Bookings for St. Josephs Hall are to be made at Blessington Parish Office. Monday to Friday 9.00am to 1pm. Tel: 045 865327

The Bethany Bereavement Support Group is a voluntary
parish based ministry which aims to help the bereaved and grieving. The
name Bethany recalls the visit of Jesus to Mary and Martha on the death
of their brother Lazarus. Although grieving is a natural process which
can be helped by the sympathy and understanding of friends, sometimes
one may need support to work through it in a positive way. Friends
don’t always know how to help; they may be embarrassed by one’s grief;
they may even avoid meeting one in the mistaken belief that a meeting
may increase distress. It is quite normal to feel anger, guilt, fear
and depression as well as the awful pain of loss. These feelings need
to be expressed rather than repressed, to be talked out, cried out and
put in some sort of perspective. It helps the healing process to talk
with a trained listener and confront the very strong feelings
associated with grief. Many Bethany members have themselves been
bereaved. They are trained to listen with understanding. They accept
those suffering loss as they are, and support them through the grieving
process. Members of the Parish Bethany Group are available in the
Parish Centre (rear of Parish Office) on the 1st Friday of each month
from 10.00am to 11.00am and on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from
8.00pm to 9.00pm. This is a free, confidential service.

The Mens Shed - to meet old friends and make new friends. Get involved in social activities and projects. Mens
Shed offers a new interest in life. For details, call Sean 086 250 8230
Blessington Scouts - Are you looking to get involved in your local community?
Or are you someone who loves the outdoors and enjoys working with young
adults? Blessington Scouts need Adult Leaders for the Scout Section
(11-15 yr olds). A typical meeting is mainly lead by the youth members
so no skills are necessary. For further information call Derek Brophy
on 087 773 1581 Email: dbrophy03@gmail.com or Malcolm Beresford on 087
2993419, Email: malcolmberesford@gmail.com

IRISH CANCER SOCIETY – Attention all patients undergoing Chemotherapy Treatment Is
transport a problem for you, either getting to or from your
appointments? If so, contact any member of staff on the ward or the
Oncology Social Worker or phone 01 231 0522.

Blessington Voluntary Cardiac Response Unit regrets
that we cannot be contacted directly in an emergency. If you suspect
that someone is in respiratory or cardiac distress do not delay as
minutes do count in an emergency situation. Remember call 999/112 and
they will contact us.At present our response time to a 999 call is
approx 5 minutes but we are having great difficulty in some areas where
estates or streets have no name signs or houses have no numbers. When
you ring 999 the Ambulance Service ask us to respond to your emergency
call. The person on duty will reach your area in a matter of minutes so
please watch out for us. We will be driving our own cars and will be
wearing a highly visible Ambulance Jacket. If someone could be at your
door or gate waiting for us, it would save considerable time when time
really counts. Please help us to help you!

Some helpful support numbers
Aware Helpline 1890 303 302 E-mail; aware@iol.ie
Samaritans Helpline 116 123 or E-mail jo@samaritans.org
Pieta House (Daytime Hours) 01 6010000
1Life Helpline 1800 247 100
HSE information line 1850 24 4850 (24hour)
Console (Bereaved) 1800 201 890
Teenline 1800 833 634 available 7 days from 8pm to 11pm and Wednesdays 4pm to 11pm.
Spunout www.spunout.ie
ISPCC Childline 1800 666 666 / Text talk to 50101
ALONE – Helping older people in need. If
you need help contact us on 01 679 1032. Supportive Housing,
Befriending, Community Response, Campaigning. Full details of our
services on www.alone.ie
St Vincent de Paul – Blessington. Any
donations intended for the local conference of the Saint Vincent de
Paul should be sent to, or left in the Parish Office, c/o SVP
Blessington Conference. All donations received will be acknowledged and
receipted by the local conference